NHL, Citing COVID-19, Halts League Play Through Dec. 27

The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced a postponement of activity through Dec. 27, citing the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

What Happened: In a press statement issued Monday night, the NHL said it reached an agreement with the National Hockey League Players’ Association “to postpone the five games that remain scheduled on Thursday, Dec. 23, in order to begin the collectively-bargained Holiday Break effective with the conclusion of games tomorrow night, Dec. 21. Under the revised schedule, Dec. 22, Dec. 23, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 (Christmas Day) shall be off days for all purposes – including travel.”

The NHL noted that players will report back to their clubs on Dec. 26, with that date set aside “for testing, practice and/or travel only. Upon return from the Holiday Break to team facilities, no individual in the team’s Traveling Party shall enter the facility (other than for testing purposes) until they have a negative test result.”

Any practice scheduled for Dec. 26 can't begin until after 2:00 p.m. local time, the NHL added, noting the regular season schedule will resume on Dec. 27.

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Why It Matters: The seven-day postponement is the longest disruption of any North American sports league since the omicron variant fueled a new surge in COVID-19 infections. Last Friday, the NFL rescheduled three of its weekend games due to a rising number of football players who tested positive for COVID-19.

About 70 players, or 10% of the 700 leaguewide, are in the NHL's COVID-19 protocols, and 20 games have been postponed this season due to the pandemic, the Associated Press reported. One major concern awaiting the NHL in the new year is whether its players will be able to compete in February’s Beijing Winter Olympics if the pandemic fails to subside again — the league has a Jan. 10 deadline to withdraw its players from the Olympics without incurring a financial penalty.

Photo: NHL